Emma Matthews

Welcome to London. Let me share my love of this beautiful, cosmopolitan city with you as a Londoner and qualified Blue Badge Guide – the best job in the world. I guide small and large groups of all ages on walking, coach panoramic and chauffeured car tours. I’m also a fully insured private Driver Guide.

Join me for a fun and informative day at historic sites like Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral or the Tower of London. Dig deep into their history and secrets. Hear who melted down the Crown Jewels, who haunts the Tower and which Queen was locked out of her husband’s coronation.

A classic London tour could include Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, a walk in stunning St James’s Park, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben then a boat trip on the River Thames and a visit to the Tower of London.

See treasures of world civilisation at the British Museum; sculptures of antiquity, Egyptian mummies and exquisite Chinese porcelain to name just a few.

Art lovers will relish the V&A, National Gallery, Tate Modern or Tate Britain with some of the most awesome art in the world.

These are just a few of the great places to visit. With kids the list gets even longer (though time per exhibit shorter!).

Walking tours of London are great fun and might answer questions like; How do you date a building by looking at it? Why is Kensington Royal? Who invented the Tuxedo in Mayfair or the mini-skirt in Chelsea? Where does the Queen get her hats? Where is a 2000-year-old Roman temple inside a 21st Century office block? Where are the coolest shops, pubs and quirkiest restaurants? Where is best for afternoon tea? Experience the London you can’t get from guidebooks.

Here are a few popular walks but I can tailor any itinerary. Contact me to get the most from your visit.

The City of London; explore 2000 years of history in 2 hours in 1 square mile. Hear about Romans, medieval merchants, and modern bankers. Learn how plague, fire and war have shaped today’s City.

Kensington: Parks, Palaces and Museums A right Royal area!

St James’s and Mayfair; luxury for Ladies and Gentlemen. See where the aristocracy have amused themselves and shopped since the 1600s. Find out about Royal Warrants, who’s in who’s out and what the best dressed are wearing.

Legal London; see the ancient Inns of Court and the church of the Knights Templar. Sit in on a trial, find out about bewigged Barristers, Charles Dickens and Dr Johnson. Wander through courtyards and perhaps finish with lunch in a medieval hall.

Other walks might dive into Westminster for Monarchy and Parliament, trendy East End for cultural diversity, and street art, literary Bloomsbury, thespian Covent Garden, Portobello Road for the market.

Alternatively tour in my comfortable Land Rover Discovery Sport. Windsor Castle and Hampton Court make a great day trip as do World Heritage sites Stonehenge and the City of Bath. Other visits could be to the Cotswolds and dreaming spires of Oxford or off the beaten track stately homes and gardens. Whatever your interests, I can help you create unique memories.

The CV detail: Londoner with degrees from Cambridge and London Universities in law and history of art. I was a barrister and government lawyer, then moved into the arts while bringing up children. I ran a bespoke art tours business before becoming a full time guide. Member of the Institute of Tourist Guiding, the Association of Professional Tourist Guides, the British Guild of Registered Tourist Guides and the Driver Guides Association.

January 2019

February 2019

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